As Northwest Arkansas grows, so does its need for smarter, more efficient recycling systems that work across city lines. What happens in one community’s recycling stream can have ripple effects throughout the region.
That’s why a new initiative in Springdale is important to the entire area.
The Boston Mountain Solid Waste District is partnering with The Recycling Partnership, the City of Springdale, CARDS and Prairie Robotics to help residents recycle more effectively and reduce contamination in household carts.
CARDS trucks were equipped this summer with cameras that scan the contents of residential recycling carts as they are emptied. The cameras are able to identify common contaminants such as plastic bags, foam containers, yard waste and trash that shouldn’t be included as recyclables in the city’s program. Starting in mid-July, households that place non-recyclable items in their carts will receive a postcard with a photo showing the item that was flagged. The rest of the image is blurred. There are no fines or penalties.
“This short-term recycling project will not only educate myself and other residents, but I hope in turn that it will lessen the overall amount of contaminants within our local recycling facilities,” said Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse.
Cleaner recycling benefits more than one community. When contamination levels rise, the entire regional system feels the impact. Contamination increases the cost of providing a recycling program, and contamination that isn’t removed can reduce the value of the items being sold. By reducing contamination, cities help keep recycling programs running smoothly and make sure more materials are recovered.
“When the wrong materials end up in recycling, it slows down processing, damages equipment and can turn entire loads into trash,” said Jason Fitzgerald, vice president of business development at CARDS. “Clean recycling helps us operate safely, keep costs down and make sure more materials actually get recycled.”
To recycle correctly, residents should place accepted items loose in the black cart with a black lid. That includes cardboard, paper, aluminum and steel cans and plastic bottles and jugs. Bagged items and plastic film are some of the most common contaminants.
If the Springdale effort is successful in reducing contamination and increasing the volume of recyclables that go to the CARDS materials recovery facility in an eastern part of the city, it will serve as a model by which other cities could measure their own efforts. The idea of equipping the CARDS trucks with cameras was a recommendation of The Recycling Partnership that came about because the city has one of the highest contamination rates in Northwest Arkansas.
Springdale households in the city have already received postcards in the past two weeks that list accepted materials and top non-recyclables. Additional mailers will follow to support education and reduce confusion.
Residents who are unsure whether an item is recyclable can visit the city’s updated recycling webpage, which features a new chatbot named Bertie powered by RecycleCheck. Bertie is available in English, Spanish and Marshallese and can answer specific questions about what goes in the bin. Springdale has the largest Arkansas population of people who speak Spanish or Marshallese, so ensuring that the information is available in multiple languages is important to connecting with a large audience.
Curbside recycling is collected weekly alongside trash pickup. For more information, visit springdalear.gov/recycle or call 479-750-8114.
